1. Field of the Invention
This invention pertains to the general field of protective gloves, such as for surgeons, paramedics, dentists, laboratory technicians, and the like. In particular, it provides a new means for protecting a user from contamination during removal of the gloves after a surgical or other procedure.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Protective gloves are common for all activities that require the handling of hazardous, offensive or harmful material. Thus, they are used in kitchens to avoid excessive exposure to water and soap during dish washing, as well as in all kinds of industrial activities to protect against the effects of chemicals and similarly potentially-damaging substances.
Various patents have been obtained covering different kinds of gloves with specific useful features. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,110,035, No. 3,555,564, No. 4,099,270, No. 4,845,780 and No. 4,884,300 describe gloves having improved wear and improved means for tightly securing the cuff around the arm of a user; U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,728,739 and No. 4,064,564 disclose lubricated gloves to prevent deterioration during storage and to facilitate emplacement; and U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,971,233 and No. 5,020,159 describe gloves with special donning and handling means.
Protective surgical gloves have been used by surgeons and other health-care professionals for decades to avoid exchange of contaminants with patients during surgical and other procedures. Such use has increased rapidly throughout the world during the last few years, especially as a result of the spread of serious bacterial and viral infections. In some cases, such as when there is a risk of communicating the AIDS virus, it is imperative that contamination prevention be assured.
The most apparent problem with the latex-type gloves used routinely by surgeons and other health-care practitioners is that they cannot be removed without some contact with the skin of the user. Thus, if a glove has been infected during surgery, for example, there is a possibility that a contaminated portion of the glove may touch the surgeon's skin during removal even if extreme caution is used. Addressing this danger, U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,747 to Coffey et al. (1989) describes a glove with a raised loop attached to the wrist portion, so that the glove can be removed more easily by hooking the loop and peeling the glove off, thus preventing contact with the user's skin.
A remaining potential problem with this type of glove is the necessity to use a separate hooking tool in order to ensure the protective effectiveness of the glove. If the tool is misplaced or not available for any reason, it is likely that a wearer would resort to using his or her fingers to pull the gloves off. Thus, while the first glove of a worn pair could be hooked and removed with a glove-protected finger, the second glove would probably be removed by using the first hand's naked fingers. This procedure still leaves the wearer exposed to a risk of contamination. Therefore, there still exists a need for a glove that incorporates effective self-contained means for removal that protect the user under all circumstances.